It is common practice to cover the exterior surfaces of buildings with aluminum or vinyl sheathing, also referred to as siding or cladding, to protect the building and to provide a durable, aesthetically pleasing finish. Conventional siding is generally comprised of long strips or panels which are attached to one another to cover the exterior surface of the building.
A particular type of siding known as ‘soffit’ siding is generally used to cover the underside of roofs or eaves. Soffit siding is typically installed underneath the roof and disposed so as to face a human observer standing there. Additionally, soffit siding generally includes venting apertures which permit air to circulate behind the panel to prevent condensation and allow water vapor to escape. Typically, these venting apertures are holes disposed in the soffit siding panel. In most conventional soffit siding panels, these venting apertures can be seen by the casual human observer standing underneath the roof. Many people find these venting apertures to be aesthetically displeasing as they cause the soffit siding to appear discontinuous. Some people request that builders use non-vented soffit siding due to the appearance of vented siding, even though there may be physical drawbacks to non-vented siding (e.g., condensation buildup in the roof). Therefore, siding manufacturers must produce both vented and non-vented siding to meet the needs of the end customer.
Without proper ventilation, moisture may get trapped between the soffit panels and the building surfaces. This trapped moisture can create mold or structural damage such as rotting of the building components, and, in cold weather, when the moisture turns to ice, the ice can damage roofing components.
Soffit panels have been developed which allow for air circulation behind the panels. Typically, these vented soffit panels contain perforations on portions of the soffit which are visible after installation. The presence of the perforations may reduce the pleasing aesthetic appearance of the soffit panels.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,283 to MacLeod et al. teaches a conventional soffit siding panel and method for securing to a building. FIG. 1 of the '283 patent shows a non-vented soffit panel 16 mounted underneath a roof 10. The soffit panel 16 is secured in J-channel brackets 18 which are, in turn, secured to board 13, fascia board 14 and outside wall 12 of the building. With reference to FIG. 1, the '283 patent teaches that holes or perforations must be cut in the soffit panel 16 to provide ventilation.
FIG. 1A of the '283 patent shows a vented mounting bracket 20 for mounting the soffit panel 16. The vented mounting bracket 20 may have been believed by the inventors of the '283 to eliminate the need to cut holes in the soffit panel 16 to provide ventilation due to preformed holes 25 disposed in the mounting bracket. However, this mounting bracket is not aesthetically pleasing to the casual observer, and thus other structures for venting soffit panels have recently been invented. Some of these products are discussed below.
Crane Plastics (www.vinyl-siding.com) advertises a soffit panel called “Premium Pointe™ Soffit” which comprises a concealed vented soffit panel. However, this product includes venting flaps which remain viewable at certain angles due primarily to the shape of the ventilation channel (groove). U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,488 to Pelfrey et al., a patent assigned to Crane Plastics, appears to show the basic structure of the Premium Pointe™ product. The ventilation channel (groove) 6 including ventilation flaps 7 is shown in FIGS. 1-3 of the '488 patent. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 of the '488 patent, the ventilation flaps 7 are easily viewable from a position underneath the siding panel 1.
Alside, Inc. (www.alside.com) advertises a soffit panel product called “Charter Oak™ Soffit” which includes concealed ventilation openings. Again, however, these ventilation openings are viewable at certain angles due to the shape of the ventilation channel.
Lousiana-Pacific Corporation (www.lpcorp.com) manufactures a soffit panel product called “I-Span™” which also includes concealed venting holes, but again, due primarily to the shape of the ventilation channel, the ventilation openings remain viewable at certain angles.
Finally, Heartland (www.heart-land.com) produces a soffit panel product called “Woodhave™” which similarly includes concealed ventilation openings. Again, however, these ventilation openings are viewable at certain angles due to the shape of the ventilation channel.
Thus, there is presently a need for a vented soffit panel which includes ventilation openings which provide efficient venting, and which are not viewable to the casual human observer.